Misinformed
by ChatterChick
Summary: Percy Weasley attempts to make Luna Lovegood see reason. Features first year Luna!


Misinformed

by ChatterChick

xXxXx

"I'm sorry I'm late – security's gone up again."

Percy Weasley breathed a sigh of relief and greeted his girlfriend of just under a year. When Penelope hadn't shown up at their usual meeting point after prefect duties he had begun to suspect the worst. There was a monster attacking muggle-borns in the castle and he was letting her wander into harm's way for Merlin's sake!

"Penny, maybe we shouldn't do this anymore"

Her brown eyes started to water, "What do you mean?"

He silently cursed at himself. He was being an insensitive prat again. This was a pity, because out of all the Weasley brothers, Percy prized himself on being one of the more sensitive ones. He should have known she would take it as if he wanted to break up.

"It's nothing like that – just, I'm worried for you. When you didn't show up – "

"Percy, nonsense, seeing you makes the day just a bit better. Please don't worry for my sake." Penny pleaded with him. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair seemed more out of place than usual.

Percy really didn't want to hear about any more trouble tonight. There was a monster running lose in the castle, his prefect patrols were being doubled, the younger students were hysterical, his twin brothers couldn't keep out of trouble, Merlin knew what Ron and his friends were up to, his sister spent most of her time crying and he was trying to hide his relationship with Penelope. Regardless, he had been raised better and asked if there was anything he could help her with.

"Oh, it's silly, but there's this first year in Ravenclaw who believes in the most ridiculous of things! She's failing History of Magic because she keeps making up stories on her essays. I have no idea how to convince her otherwise, she's quite adamant about her beliefs."

It was his second year as a prefect and he had spent the better part of his time separating fact from fiction about the wizarding world. Just this past week he had to comfort a hysterical hufflepuff who's muggle sister told her that witches grew green skin and warts! Really, the things muggles come up with!

Percy chuckled. "Let me handle it, I'm used to muggle-borns."

"She's not a muggleborn, which makes this so much more frustrating. Her name's Luna Lovegood."

"Not – " Percy winced. The Lovegood family lived just past the Burrow. His mother generally avoided Mr. Lovegood, especially after he came round for tea and attempted to interview her for a story he was writing. Apparently he believed that the seventh child of a family had hidden magical properties and wanted to experiment on Ginny.

"Yes, her father's the editor of that bloody Quibbler."

Convincing little Luna Lovegood to stop creating stories on her essays was going to be a nightmare, but Percy was determined to try his best.

Percy found the little first year in question the next day. He had recognized her from passing her by in the village that they both lived in. She had wild, long dirty blonde hair and wide, innocent child-like eyes. The more curious things about her were the necklace of butterbeer corks and her raddish earrings. She was in school robes, but he remembered her as someone who wore the most bizarre of outfits.

"Penelope couldn't tutor you today, so she asked me to," Percy began, sitting down at the library table next to her. "She says you need help in History of Magic?"

"I'm very good at history, but no offense to Professor Binns, he hasn't been alive to realize that new things have been discovered since he died."

Percy bit back a comment about the ancient professor. As dry as Binns was, it wouldn't do for a prefect to be questioning the Hogwarts professors. However, that was not the issue here.

"Now, Penny told me you have trouble separating fact from fiction in your history class?" Percy kindly asked the girl.

"Penelope's really nice," Luna said wistfully, "But she only believes in what has been proven – everything else is too much a stretch for her."

"Penelope's a very reasonable witch," Percy attempted to reason with Luna, only to be cut off.

"She didn't believe me about the threstals."

"The what?" Percy was beginning to develop a headache. He felt that this was about to be the first of many very long tales Luna would tell him.

"The creatures who pull the carriages up to the school, you can only see them if you've seen death."

Now Percy remembered them – dark skeletal horses who were rumoured to be extremely dangerous. As if the school would be able to train them and keep them from harming students! Even Dumbledore wouldn't be that touched to think such a dark creature on the grounds of a school would be a good idea. Even if they managed to do it, they would have informed the prefects and heads about it. No, Percy reasoned, someone was just goading Luna into believing some other crazed tale. "Luna, I'm a prefect, I think I would know if there are threstals at the school."

"Hagrid says – "

"Hagrid's just pulling your leg; threstals are too dangerous to keep at a school. Now, I understand you have to write a paper about the founder of your house?" Percy looked over the paper Luna was currently writing.

"The lost diadem of Raven – Luna no such thing has ever been proven to exist, it's just a myth!" Percy groaned. Luna had once again dedicated her essay topic to some nonsense item with more lies than truths about it. Fake diadems were always popping up during OWLs and NEWTs, with lazy students hoping to suddenly become smarter.

"Stolen by Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, Helena," Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you know the location of the diadem too?"

"Of course not, but I have a few ideas," Luna persisted.

By the time Percy got to the part about the Bloody Baron killing Helena and himself out of love and guilt, he had had enough. "Luna, the lost diadem of Ravenclaw does not exist, I have no idea where you're getting your information, but this story telling has got to stop."

"No, I'm not making this up!" She insisted, her voice raising just enough to hint that she was annoyed at being brushed aside.

It should have been a crime for Mr. Lovegood to raise his daughter to believe in such outlandish things! The ministry really ought to have intervened because that poor girl was clearly delusional by this point in her life. Percy had no idea how she was going to survive Hogwarts.

Luna began packing up her notes and Percy realized he was fighting a losing battle. "Just, stick to the facts you read in the text book for the class if you want to pass," he sighed.

"Thank you for your time, Percy, but I'm not changing my topic. Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, isn't that the point of learning? To discover new things? If you don't mind, I'm going to try to find the Bloody Baron and see if he'll give me his version of events." Luna hopped off the stool and skipped out of the library.

Percy put his head in his hands and sighed. That went horribly wrong. If a fraction of that essay had any truth in it, he'd swallow polyjuice potion containing Snape's toenail clippings!


End file.
